There is an increasing need for remote monitoring of individuals, animals and inanimate objects in their daily or natural habitats. Many seniors live independently and need to have their safety and wellness tracked. A large percentage of society is fitness conscious, and desire to have, for example, workouts and exercise regimen assessed. Public safety officers, such as police and firemen, encounter hazardous situations on a frequent basis, and need their movements, activities and location to be mapped out precisely.
Of particular importance is the breathing rate and breathing pattern of a user. Monitoring of breathing is particularly useful because it helps, for example, in identifying progress and effectiveness of an exercise regime. During aerobic activities like running, and cycling, a good steady breathing pattern ensures that muscles are getting enough nourishment in terms of oxygen so that they can perform optimally without injury. It is also possible to determine the intensity of the exercise based on the breathing patterns of the person. Change in respiration rate and pattern is also known to be the earliest indicator of physiological instability, organ distress, health problems, and onset of chronic conditions. Training in the use of proper breathing rates and patterns, have proven to cure the persons of many chronic conditions and significant reduction of stress.
Present breathing devices require the user to be stationary. However, the breathing monitoring is particularly useful when the user is non-stationary. Demand for oxygen goes up in non-stationary conditions exercising, such as running. Improper breathing retards metabolic energy production. This can lead to fatigue and result in muscle and body injuries. Proper breathing improves oxygen concentration at the cellular level. It has also been shown that ensuring better breathing patterns can immediately increase the energy level in the body. Public safety officers, such as, firemen can be exposed to hazardous conditions of smoke and deadly chemicals while trying to fight the fires. It is imperative that they be monitored for their safety while they are moving. As a part of their training, firemen are taught to breathe in such conditions. Monitoring of their breathing helps to ensure that they can be evacuated from a site before they reach critical condition due to exposure to smoke, poisonous gases and chemicals.
Existing products for the detection of human motions are simplistic in nature, and incapable of interpreting anything more than simple atomic movements, such as jolts, changes in orientation and the like. It is not possible to draw reliable conclusions about human behavior from these simplistic assessments.
It is desirable to have an apparatuses, systems and methods for monitoring breathing of a user. In is particularly desirable to monitor the breathing of the user while the user is active.